In a piece for the Chicago Sun-Times, the former Bears coach criticized the tests and measurements that the combine requires, saying he was glad it wasn’t around when he was a coach in the 1980s.
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He even used linebacker Mike Singletary and tackle Steve McMichael as examples of players who would have been overlooked. Singletary and McMichael were on Ditka’s Super Bowl-winning team.
“See, that brings up stuff like the NFL combine, which, thank God, we didn’t have back then because neither of those guys would have impressed anybody at a ridiculous meat market like that. Singletary was short (6 feet) and wore glasses. How do you think the computers would have handled that?
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“Those combines are unadulterated bull—. You lift weights, jump around, run 40s, take IQ tests. You think that can tell you who’s going to be a great football player? How many times do they hand you pencils on the field?”
To Ditka’s credit, Singletary and McMichael went on to combine for 12 Pro Bowls as well as the victory at Super Bowl XX.
